1. Field of the Disclosure
The disclosure relates generally to double port pressure regulators and more specifically to double port pressure regulators having a fixed seat and a floating seat.
2. Related Technology
Pressure regulators and pressure regulating valves are used in myriad industrial and residential applications for controlling the downstream pressure of a fluid. For example, in chemical processing plants or oil refineries, pressure regulating valves are used to manipulate a flowing fluid to compensate for increases or decreases in demand, or other load disturbances, and thus keep the fluid pressure regulated. Similarly, pressure regulating valves may be used in plumbing fixtures to maintain a pre-determined pressure of fluid that automatically adjusts to variations in demand, such as anti-scald valves in showers or faucets. By controlling downstream pressure, pressure regulating valves compensate for variations in downstream demand. For example, as downstream demand increases, pressure regulating valves open to allow more fluid to flow through the pressure regulating valve, thus maintaining a relatively constant downstream pressure. On the other hand, as downstream demand decreases, pressure regulating valves close to reduce the amount of fluid flowing through the pressure regulating valve, again maintaining a relatively constant downstream pressure.
One type of pressure regulating valve is the double port regulator. Double port regulators include a single fluid inlet that branches into two fluid exit ports. Each fluid exit port has its own valve plug and valve seat. Double port regulators have the advantage of providing high flow rates. However, double port regulators suffer from the problems of requiring very tight machining tolerances to assure that both seats completely simultaneously shut off when the valve is closed.